GREAT FALLS — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.

GREAT FALLS — An armed fentanyl trafficker from Washington who admitted to distributing the drug in the Great Falls community was sentenced on Jan. 4 to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

Jerry Scot Saunders, 35, of Houkem, Washington, pleaded guilty in August 2023 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and to prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

In court documents, the government alleged that Saunders was a significant drug dealer in Great Falls and that in early 2022, law enforcement searched for him because he had absconded from his state probation officer. Detectives learned Saunders was distributing fentanyl in Great Falls and located him in a motel room. Law enforcement found Saunders in possession of two firearms and more than 600 fentanyl pills. The investigation determined that Saunders had been driving to Spokane, Washington, to purchase fentanyl pills to sell in Great Falls. Saunders had a prior felony conviction from 2018 in Flathead County and was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica A. Betley and Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The Russell Country Drug Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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